Signal for photographic apparatus



Sept. 22, 1931. A, w, CAPS 1,824,258

SIGNAL FOR PHOTOGRAPHIG APPARATUS Filed July 2, 1928 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Sept. 22, 1931. w, CAPS SIGNAL FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Filed July 2. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NTOR INV

Patented Sept. 22, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -j ARTHUR W. CAPS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO PHOTO STA T CORPORATION,

OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND SIGNAL FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Application filed July 2, 1928. Serial No. 289,761.

This invention relates to the combination with photographic apparatus of signal means for the same, andhas for its principal object the provision of such a combination comprising signal means which will inform the operator of the movements of certain mechanism within the photographic apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide photographic apparatus having a dark chamber with signal means for indicating the movements of parts Within the dark chamber, so coordinated and combined that indication of the'signal means may be readily observed outside the dark chamber without transmission of light rays into the same.

Another object is the provision, in'photo graphic apparatus, of a signal which will in- .form the operator of the approach of sheet conveying means to a sheet holder.

A further object is to provide audible means for notifying the operator that a sheet is about to be withdrawn from the sheet holding means by the conveying means, so that he will know that another sheet may shortly be placed in the holding means.

through a wall of the chamber, the signal being so designed and constructed as to cover the passageway and provide a. baflle for reventing passage of light therethrough into the dark chamber.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, "the novel features being pointed out inthe claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: 7

Fi g. 1 is a side elevation of one form of photographic apparatus with which the invention may be used, illustrating the present invcntion applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through apart of the apparatus, illustrating details of the invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of one form of signaling means;

' Fig. 4 is a section taken approximately on the line 44 of Fig. 2, illustrating parts of the signal in elevation, and

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through a part of the signal, taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

The invention is herein disclosed with particular reference to photographic apparatus of the type in which a roll of sensitized sheet material is provided, successive ortionsof the roll being unwound, expose and then severed from the roll. The severed sheets are then placed in suitable holding means such as a chute, from which they are picked up or withdrawn by conveying means and carried to any desired point. During the travel of the sheets they may pass, for example, through developing, fixing, and washing baths, if desired.

The conveying. means may include one or more pick-up devices which pass the sheet holding means or chute at intervals. It is desirable that each passage of a pick-up device are associated with the conveyin means.

The signal may be arranged for example, either at the sheet holding means or chute, or slightl in advance thereof, or even beyond the ho ding means if desired. No matter in which of these positions it is placed, it is preferably arranged to be actuated by each passage of a pick-up device. The signal may be either visible or audible, and in either case the operator will be notified that a pick-up device is passing, or is about to pass, or has just passed the sheet holding means, dependmg on which of the three positions mentioned above the signal occupies with respect to the chute.

Preferably the signal is so placed that it is actuated by one pick-up device just as the rear edge of a sheet carried by the next previous pick-up device passes out of the sheet holding-means." In other words, the opera t-ion of the signal indicates that the sheet I holding means is then clear of a sheet, and

' the operator may then feed another sheet into the holding means or chute and sever it, withoutdanger of having two sheets in the chute at the same time. v I

.certain features of the invention are not limited to use for the purpose above de 'fscribed, but may be employed equally well in other situations. For example, the invention contemplates the use of a bell or other suitable. audibledevlce as the signaling means, and 1n case an audlble slgnal is used 1t is desirable to: place openings inthe walls of the dark chamber adjacent the signal, in order that the sound waves from the signal may be clearly "heard outside of the chamber.

which it may be desired to employ an audible;

: signal Within a dark chamber,- and it is not limited to use in connection with the sheet holding-means and conveymg means above mentioned.

' One possible form of apparatus with which theinvention may be used'is shown in side eles vation in Fig.1. On suitable supports 11 theremay be; placed a camera indicatedgenerally' by the numeral 12, the camera being provided with a prism 13 for bending thelight .ra-lys so that tllQObjBCtS to be photographed V may be placed upon a horizontal copyholder 14.. A rollof sensitized sheet material15may be placed W thin the camera; 111. position so that successlveportlons may be unwound and placed at- 16 in the focal plane of'thec mcra.

Vihen a portion of the sheet in the focal plane has been exposed, the sheetmay be fed forward the desired amount by feeding means such as the rolls 17, so as to bring a fresh or 'unexposed portion of thesheet material into the focal plane. The exposed portion of the sheet may then be severed bysuitable sever- ,l'ng means and may be fedor allowed to dropb" 'ravi't into suitable holdin means such 7 n c 2: V p as thechute 18.

I Conve in means ,,1eferabl* of endless i b 7 i type, may be used to'pick up the sheets from t-heholding means 18and to convey them'to' any desired point. r may comprise a pair ofendless members such 7 his conveying I means asthe chains 19' (F-genre i) which may T be spaced-from each other in a direction trans.-

versely' of the apparatus and may carry one or morepicleup devices such as the bars 20,

eztendin'gacross"from one ofthe conveyor chains to the other,;one e'ndjof eachjba'r being a ched to; each Ch i 1 The present Each of these cross bars 20 may carry one or more forwardly extendingplns or darts 21 which are adapted to pierce the sheet 22 (Fig.

2) held within tie holding" means 18 .as the pick-up device travels pastthis holding.

means, the sheet thus becoming attached to the conveying means so that it is withdrawn from the holding means'and carried along by subsequent movement of the conveyor. The

path of travel may pass through a tank 25',

shown iii-Fig. 1, which may be divided into sections or compartments containing develop-z ing, fixing,and washing baths, so that the sheet material may be treated during its passage; Any suitable means may be employed for removing the sheetfrom the conveyor at any desired point, the removal preferably taking placeoverthe tank 26 so that the sheets when removed will drop into thistank, from which-they maybe taken as desired-by the operator. 1 v v r The conveyin means maybe driven either intermittently or continuously by any suitable mechanism such asthe motor 27-, shown inFig. l. l Vhether the driving lie-intermittent or continuous, it will be apparent that in either case a pick-up device such as the bar 20; will travel past the hold ng means 18, and

after an interval of time another. pick-up device will llkewise travel past the holding means." After each passage'of'a piclif-up device,- it is apparent that the sheet occupying the chute prior to such passage will have been removed therefrom, and another sheet may then "be placed in the chute in position to be picked up bythe passage ofthe next succeeding pick-up device.1

I If afsheet has been placed inthe chute and has not yet beenvremoved therefrom by the conveyor, a second sheet should not be placed in the chute because itwould be picked up at the same time as thei'irst sheet, and when two sheets are picked up togetherthey lie in conso that one of the sheets is apt tobeimper fectly treated; lt s, therefore, important that the operator be notified of the successive passageot the pick-up devicespast the chute, so that he willknow when a sheetpreviously placed in the chutelh'asbeen pickedup and when it s safe to place another sheet, therein. The meansfor notifying the operator, in

:tact with each-other thoughout their travel.

the present instance, may comprise an audi' V blesignal such asthe bell; 30, illustrated in Figs. 2 to 5. This bell may be mountedby means such as a screw 31 on a support which 7 comprises radially extending arms .32 attached toithe top'ef an upstanding annular flange 33 having a {fiatmarginal flange 34 s urroundlng 1t, as shown most clearly in Fig.

5. ,The' marginal flange 34 is widened at one po nt, as at 35, and on this widened portion;

there may be -mounted a screw 36' which serves asa pivot. for: asleeve 31 carrying a bell clapper arm 38 provided with a clapper.

39.x A spring urges the Clapper arm against the stop pin 41. As shown in Fig. 3., the clapper 39 is out of contact with the bell 30 when the clapper arm is against the stop member, but it will be understood that a portion of the clapper arm isresilient so that the clapper may hit thebell when the arm has been displaced and is drawn back rapidl against the stop 41 by the spring '40.

(gperating means for the clapper may include an arm 42 attached to the sleeve 37, this arm extending'up alongside one of the conveyor members 19 in the path of travel of the cross bars 20, so that the arm 42 is displaced and swung in counter-clockwise direction,"when viewed as in Figs. 2, and 3, at each passage of a ick-up device or cross bar 20. Thus the bell is operated each time a pick-up device passes it.

In the'present instance, the signal bell .is shown as being mounted on the inner side of a wall 45 of the dark chamber, at a point slightly in advance of the sheet holding means or chute 18. That is to say, the pickup devices pass and actuate the signal slightly before they reach the holding means.

In order that the signal shall be distinctly audible outside of the dark chamber, and

preferably at some distance from the apparatus, openings 46 are provided in the wall 45, these openings all being within that portion of the wall which is surrounded by the flange 33. It will be noted from Fig. 5 that the flange 33 extends close to the marginal portion of the bell 30, and overlaps the edge of the bell a substantial distance.

By theuse of this construction, it is found that the flange 33 and the bell 30 together constitute means for preventing light from entering the dark chamber through the openings 46. It will be noted that there is no direct path in which light can travel from any of the openings 46 to the interior of the dark chamber, and as the interior surface of the bell 30 and the surfaces of the flange 33 are preferably given a dull finish, it follows that no appreciable amount of light can be reflected back and forth so as to enter the dark chamber through the labyrinth-likespace between the bell and the protecting flange 33. In this way, fogging or other damage to the sensitized sheet material within the dark chamber is prevented, although openings are provided for allowing the free passage of sound waves from the audible signal within the dark chamber to points outside of the chamber.

In operation, the pin bar 20 shown near the top of Fig. 2 travels past and actuates the clapper operating arm 42 just at the instant that the previous pin bar (not shown) in advance of the one mentioned is moved to such a position that the rear edge of the sheet which it has picked up and withdrawn from the chute is just leaving the chute. The instant the signal operates, therefore, the operator knows that the chute 18 has been cleared of the previous sheet, and he, therefore, opcrates the necessary mechanism to feed the next section of the sheet material downwardly past the feed rollers 17 into the chute 18, and severs it. v

The conveying means is driven at such a rate of travel that there is ordinarily sufiicient time for this feeding and severing operation to take place after the actuation of the signal before the pin bar 20 which actuated the signal reaches the chute 18. By the time the pick-up device or pin bar reaches the chute, there is,therefore, a sheet 22 present in the chute as shown in Fig. 2. The pins 21 on the pick-up device pierce this sheet as the pick-up device travels past the chute and draw this sheet out of the chute. Just as the rear edge of the sheet is passing out of the end of the chute, the next succeeding pickup device or pin bar 20 passes and actuates the clapper operating arm 42 so that the bell rings again and indicates to the operator that he may wind down or feed another sheet. In this way, only one sheet at a time is placed in the holding means or chute and there is no danger of two sheets being picked up by a single pick-up device.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number of ways. This application is therefore not to be limited to the precise details shown, but is intended to cover all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention or the. scope of the appended claims. 1

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a photographic apparatus having a dark chamber and sheet handling means therein, of audible signal means located within said dark chamber for indicating the position of a part of said sheet handling means, and an opening in a wall of the dark chamber for transmitting sound from said audible signal means exteriorly of said chamber, said opening being covered by said signal means so that light from said opening is thereby excluded from said dark chamber.

2. The combination with a photographic apparatus having a dark chamber and a member movable therein, of audible signal means located within said dark chamber and operable by said member, and an opening in a wall of said dark chamber for transmitting sound from said audible signal means exteriorly' of said chamber, said signal means comprising baflle meansfor excluding light from said dark chamber.

3. The combination with a photographic apparatus having a dark chamber, of an audi ble signal within said chamber, an opening in a wall of said chamber adjacent said signal for passage of sound waves from, within O: and

said chamber to points exteriorly thereof, and baffle meansadj acent said opening for excluding light from said dark chamber. 7 p i In a photographic apparatus, the combination with sheet. holding means, of sheet conveying means havingaportion arranged y to pick up a sheet from said holding means,

and audible signal means: operated automatically by the movement of said pick up portion Cil I for signaling the approach of said portion to said holding means. 1

5. In a vphot'ogrphic apparatus, the conibination with sheet holding means, of sheet conveying means including a plurality of spaced pick-up portions each arranged to travel past-said sheet holdingmeans and to pick up a sheet he'ldthereby, and a signal for ind icating the approach of each of said pick-up; portions to said holding means,said

signal comprising a-beli and a clapper having a clapper operating arm extending into the'path oftra'vel Oi 'each of said pick-upportions.

6. In a photographic apparatus, the com- 1 bination with a dark chamber adapted to hold sensitized sheet material, of a member movable Within said chamber, an audible signal Within said chamber operated by movement of said movable member, a1ropen;

1- ing ina Wall of said chamber adjacentrsaid si nal to assist'passage of sound Wavesi'rom l audibles'ignal to points outside ofsaidj chamber, and"means preventingleakage of light froin said opening into said chain:

ber.

tion of said bell,- said flange serving to'pre vent: leakage of light from said openinginto including a cup-shapedb'ell mounted onthe inner side of a wait offs-aid chamber with its COIICELVGSlClB' toward sald Wall, abell clapper operated bymovement' of said pick-up portion, an opening in said Wall ofsaid chamher Within the area covered by said bell to assist passage of sound waves from said bell to points outside of said chamber; and a flange on said Wall surrounding s'aidopen'ing and overlapping the edge of s'aidbell and extending into the concave portion of said bell, said flange serving to prevent leakage of light from said: opening intosaid chamber,

1 ARTHUR Wi CAPSQ i 7 'Infa photographicapparatus, the cambination with a dark chamber adapted-t0 hold sensitized sheet material, o-f-a member movable Within said chamber, a signal hell 1 Within saidchamber, said bell including a marginal flange, a bell clapper operated by movement of saidmovable member, an openbellto assist passage ofsound Waves from said bell to'points outside of said-chamber,

' and aflange on said' Wall surrounding said; "opening and extending" into elo'se'proximity' binati to the marginal flange' on-the bell, for-preventing leakage oflight frolnsaid opening into said chamber. r

V 8.7 In afphotographic apparatus, thejcom-I ion with a dark'chamber adapted to" ensitized sheet inater'iahof a member tab-1e within said chamber, a signalbell in said chamber, said bell being cup- V shaped and being mounted on'a' Wall of said chamber with its COIICHVQ'SlClQ' toward said wall, a beil'clapper operated by movement of said movable member, anopenin'g n said Wall of said chamber Within the area covered by said'beli'to assist passage of sound Waves froin said bell to 'points 'outs1de ofsaid cham- 7 her, and flange on said Wall-surrounding 'saiq opening and overlapping the edgeof bell and extending into the concave poi fins-in a-wal-l of said chamber adjacent said i 

